I’m only one person. What I do doesn’t make a difference. The world is screwed anyway so why should I change my lifestyle now? My impact is so small compared to others. We should focus on bigger things and not what one single person does.
These are just a few of the excuses I’ve heard, and that I’ve said myself, regarding ethical eating and shopping. By now every omnivore has at least thought about buying free-range, grass-fed, non-hormone meat and dairy products. We have also likely sought out local and organic produce when possible, including shopping at farmer’s markets and growing our own fruits and veggies when the weather permits us to do so. While these are huge areas of our diets that also have a huge environmental impact, there are other areas of our lifestyles which the ordinary person may not have considered. I’ve been thinking about them more and more.
One which is very close to my heart is the ethics of coffee. The labels “fair-trade” and “organic” mean more than that the price may be a bit higher than say Folgers coffee. It means that the coffee bean growers and harvesters are making a livable wage and that they aren’t being exposed to dangerous chemicals (which are then left in the coffee beans and consumed by us). Fair-trade is about creating a positive worldwide community both economically and environmentally. Read more about it here. While I do occasionally stop at chain coffee stores to get my caffeine fix, at home I brew Peace Coffee or other fair-trade coffees from local shops such as Goodbye Blue Monday in Northfield, MN.
Another area of my consumption that I have been thinking a lot about recently is my spices and herbs. I’ve recently tackled my spice rack because I wanted to refresh my stock with spices and herbs that weren’t wildly outdated. A simple internet search suggests replacing ground spices every 2-3 years and dried herbs every 1-3 years (a liberal amount of time according to Alton Brown, one of my favorite foodies).
When facing this task I thought about the Sociology course that I took and the paper that I wrote about the ethics of harvesting salt. Unfortunately I can’t seem to find the paper that I wrote, but I did find an article that discusses some of the serious health and economic consequences of salt mining, which you can read here.
So my solution? I bought all of my spices from local co-ops, many of which were organic and/or fair-trade. While I cannot guarantee that all of them were sustainably sourced or that every farmer was compensated fairly for their work, I feel that I did the best that I could, given the resources that I have. I like to think that I do my best to be ethical and fair in all of my consumerism, but I know that I have a long way to go. Every little bit helps: that’s my new motto.
Image from Zensho Fair Trade
I admit that buying organic, local, and fair-trade won’t save the world. It won’t stop climate change and it won’t lift anyone out of poverty. But it still makes me feel better about my choices and my contribution to the planet, because it’s better to do a little good than none at all. I’m a dreamer though, so here’s another more cynical point of view on the topic from The Economist.
What I really hope that you, my readers, take away from this post is that you give some extra thought to your food habits, even the seemingly small ones. Perhaps the next time you buy beef you’ll buy grass-fed organic beef. Maybe you’d like to plant your own kitchen herb garden. The next time you see something labeled “free-trade”, check it out and debate whether or not it’s worth your extra pennies to contribute to the greater good of the world. Heck, maybe you’ll even take to the streets and push for reform as the Economist article suggests will be needed. The first steps towards any thoughtful action are education and consideration. So please my friends, take a moment of your time to research your options as a consumer. Your choices do matter, and you can make a difference.